Dear family and friends,
2025 has been a big year for the Allisons. We’re a family that thrives on routine, so it’s particularly notable for us to have attempted so many new things this year. Of course, because we thrive on routine, there was plenty that qualifies as business as usual, too.
George recently turned nine and is in third grade this year. He has a new school schedule and is spending more time at The Farm, where he receives ALL the therapies. He’s using his AAC device more and more and has even started spelling with it. His teachers and therapists all told us that he was using his device to spell out HBOKids (which means he wants to watch Sesame Street).
Henry is seven and still very creative – he loves to draw and act out skits where he feeds us the lines he wants us to say. He also started an after-school Tae Kwon Do program this fall. He seems to really love it and even earned his yellow belt a few weeks ago. He’s having a lot of fun in second grade this year and recently led the school cafeteria in an impromptu sing-along of the SpongeBob SquarePants theme song.
Philip started a new communications job at the Arkansas Children’s Foundation this summer (though it was a tough decision to leave UAMS, where he really liked his job and his co-workers). He and Henry went to Virginia to visit his family over the summer. They had a great time at the Smithsonian but perhaps the most notable part of the trip came at the end. When they got to the airport to come home, he realized he’d left his wallet at his parents’ house… an hour away. Thankfully, his sister Betsy raced his wallet out to him and he and Henry were able to make their flight back to Little Rock.
I’m still working in Advancement Services at UCA. I also started grad school at UCA in January, where I am working towards a master’s degree in applied data analytics. I had a great first semester in the spring and then completely flopped this past fall. It’s certainly been a lesson in humility to go back to school after 20+ years away (and to get called Ms. Cynthia by my fellow classmates). My data nerd conference being in New Orleans this year was an extra special treat. And I’m still going to weekly meetings at the Conway Toastmasters club in an effort to sweat less when I have to stand in front of people and say words.
We enjoyed a few trips this year, visiting family in Florida, Mississippi and Virginia. We even braved Branson during the boys’ fall break. Closer to home, we checked out Blanchard Springs Caverns and Crater of Diamonds State Park. And living in close proximity to Little Rock has been great for Philip and I and our shared love of stand-up comedy. We saw both Nate Bargatze and Leanne Morgan this fall. Date nights can be tough to pull off in our house, so we’re grateful to our moms (pictured below) for making that possible. And spoiler alert for next year’s letter but we’re also going to see John Mulaney and Fortune Feimster in the spring.
A few key takeaways we learned in 2025:
- George hates aquariums. Give it up already.
- Henry can read now. Stop spelling bad words.
- Hiring someone to drive George from school to The Farm every day makes everyone happier.
- Human aging speeds up the year that you are 44.
- Branson is actually pretty great but you’re crazy to go during fall break.
- Both Philip and I working in fundraising-related fields has made our dinner conversations very boring to our children.
- We’re suspicious that YouTube is melting our children’s brains. Our resolution for 2026 is to delete it from all the devices in our house.
- My news addiction and Philip’s news avoidance has been a good balance for our household in this particularly tumultuous year.
- Henry wants to go to college at LSU like his cousin Addison, who is his favorite person in the family. Plenty of time to change his mind, though. No one is panicking.
As is the same as every year since we’ve had children, we are so grateful and so tired. We’re excited to see what 2026 brings for us and those we love. I’m hoping for more trips and fewer viruses (knocks on wood).
All our best,
Cynthia (44) on behalf of the Allison family,
Philip (51), George (9) & Henry (7)